The Los Angeles Lakers officially honored one of the most influential figures in franchise history over the weekend, unveiling a statue of Pat Riley outside the arena. While the ceremony celebrated championships, legacy, and Showtime-era dominance, Riley also used the moment to share a belief he has never really let go of: NBA coaches should still be wearing suits.
“It’s very simple. Some people like to wear Levi jeans and that’s it. T-shirts and whatever it is. But I met Mr. Armani in 1978 in Milan and he started to make some things for me at that time,” Riley said. “This was before I was even an assistant coach, I was working with Chick. We had a relationship for a long time, so my wife, she goes out and she shops and there’s a lot of new fashion and a lot of new trends and great things that are going on. But we’re up there in our 70s and 80s and so a lot of people are going back to vintage Armani, which are the 80s and 90s. And I didn’t have to go buy any. I just went right into my closet and pulled them out, recut them and they looked a little more contemporary.
“Everything I’m wearing today is Armani. And everything on my feet are black pad leather. You see out on that statue. They went out of business and sold to another company, and the owner called me and said ‘We sold the business, we’re not going to be making that shoe anymore.’ Then I ordered 20 pairs of each color and I still have a bunch of them left in my closet.
“I never changed much. I think what a coach should wear, I think they should go back to coaching in ties. I think an audience wants to see somebody on the sidelines who looks like a leader, dresses like a leader and acts like a leader. It’s OK to get little bit crazy whether it’s Armani or a jumpsuit doesn’t make a difference. There’s a casualness about it that I think the fans back in the 80s sort of expected that, and it was OK for me to give it to them.”
READ MORE: JJ Redick Keeps Perspective as Lakers Limp Through Homestand